apraxia

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This is from the NORD web site

Synonyms of Apraxia

Disorder Subdivisions

a.. Apraxia, Buccofacial

b.. Apraxia, Classic

c.. Apraxia, Constructional

d.. Apraxia, Ideational

e.. Apraxia, Ideokinetic

f.. Apraxia, Ideomotor

g.. Apraxia, Motor

h.. Apraxia, Oculomotor

General Discussion

Apraxia is a neurological disorder characterized by the inability to perform

learned (familiar) movements on command, even though the command is

understood and there is a willingness to perform the movement. Both the

desire and the capacity to move are present but the person simply cannot

execute the act.

Patients with apraxia cannot use tools or perform such acts as tying

shoelaces or button shirts etc. The requirements of daily living are

difficult to meet. Patients whose ability to speak is interrupted (aphasia)

but who are unaffected by apraxia are able to live a relatively normal life;

those with significant apraxia are almost invariably dependent.

Apraxia comes in several different forms:

Limb-kinetic apraxia is the inability to make precise or exact movements

with a finger, an arm or a leg. An example is the inability to use a

screwdriver notwithstanding that the person affected understands what is to

be done and has done it in the past.

Ideomotor apraxia is the inability to carry out a command from the brain to

mimic limb or head movements performed or suggested by others.

Conceptual apraxia is much like ideomotor ataxia but infers a more profound

malfunctioning in which the function of tools is no longer understood.

Ideational apraxia is the inability to create a plan for a specific

movement.

Buccofacial apraxia, (sometimes called facial-oral apraxia) is the inability

to coordinate and carry out facial and lip movements such as whistling,

winking, coughing etc on command. This form includes verbal or speech

developmental apraxia, perhaps the most common form of the disorder.

Constructional apraxia affects the person's ability to draw or copy simple

diagrams or to construct simple figures.

Oculomotor apraxia is a condition in which patients find it difficult to

move their eyes.

Apraxia is believed to be caused by a lesion in the neural pathways of the

brain that contain the learned patterns of movement. It is often a symptom

of neurological, metabolic, or other disorders that can involve the brain.

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Organizations related to Apraxia

a.. NIH/NINDS Brain Resources and Information Network

PO Box 5801

Bethesda MD 20824

Phone #:

800 #:

e-mail: N/A

Home page: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/

b.. National Aphasia Association

156 Fifth Avenue

New York NY 10010

Phone #: --

800 #:

e-mail: naa@...

Home page: http://www.aphasia.org

c.. Apraxia

Apraxia, Ocular Motor, Cogan Type

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